A/N: Thank you for waiting for this - sorry it's been a while. Thanks also to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. Please leave a few words if you have a moment!
James let the office door close behind him and breathed a sigh of relief as he walked down the corridor. It was Friday, which meant that he didn't have to set foot inside the Ministry for two whole days. No paperwork or filing or making other people cups of tea until Monday rolled round. And it looked like the weather was going to be good, so he could get his broom out. Up in the air, he could almost forget about work.
Meanwhile, he had a date to get to. His mouth curled into a smile when he thought about the last few weeks. He still couldn't quite believe it was real; that this was really happening, after he had convinced himself he would never see her again. Jobs and the Ministry and the future faded away from his mind as he left the building. Tonight he only needed to think about Hazel.
"You're cheerful," his cousin Louis remarked a few minutes later, as James let himself into the house they shared with several other friends.
James immediately tried to look less cheerful, but Louis, lounging on the sofa with a bowl of something that might have been intended to be bolognese, didn't look fooled.
"Going well, is it?" he asked casually.
James kicked his shoes off and made for the other side of the room.
"I haven't a clue what you're on about. I'm going for a shower."
"Why, going somewhere tonight?" Louis asked, then dropped his show of innocence. "Oh, come on, Jamie. We live with you. We all know you're going out with someone. You've been out in the evenings and at weekends, without any of us. You've been going round whistling to yourself instead of moaning about your job." He smirked. "And don't think we didn't notice those things that looked a bit like bruises on your neck the other day. Why is it such a big secret? Who is she?"
James hesitated. His face had heated up slightly, and it was tempting to say something rude and escape quickly. But then again, if he wanted to keep seeing Hazel – and he did – he'd have to tell people some time. Most of his family didn't need to know yet, but Louis wasn't most of his family. They'd been best friends all their lives and James trusted him completely. Hazel wasn't a secret to be hidden away.
"You know who she is," he said, a little reluctantly. "She's the same person I was seeing last summer."
"Really?" Louis's eyebrows shot up. "I thought she said she didn't want to see you any more."
"She did," James admitted. "But now she's changed her mind."
"Right." Louis looked at him through narrowed eyes. "So that's been going on quite a while, then?" he said thoughtfully.
James shrugged. "Depends what you mean by 'going on'. I didn't see her for months. We've only actually been going out for a few weeks. And…" He hesitated again. "Nobody really knows yet. So keep it to yourself, yeah?"
"I won't say anything to anyone," Louis agreed. "Though Fenella and the twins pretty much already know. But what I meant was, it's kind of serious-ish?"
James ran his fingers through his hair helplessly. "Look, I… I don't know. Can you just let us, you know, figure things out?"
"Sure." Louis grinned at him. "But when are we going to get to meet her? Because anyone who's got you stammering and saying you need to figure things out has got to be something special."
James refused to dignify this with an answer, and stalked out of the room.
However, later, as he left to meet Hazel, his mind dwelt on some of what Louis had said. Why was he keeping it a secret? Why not introduce Hazel to his friends, at least? That wasn't such a big deal as taking her to meet his parents or anything like that. She might freak out at that idea, and he wasn't at all sure he was ready for it himself. But he thought she'd like Louis and the others.
He met her in a park near her house, because it was easy for her to get there, and he could Apparate to a quiet place behind some bushes without anyone seeing him. It was a habit they'd fallen into over the past few weeks. He couldn't quite believe that that was how long they'd been seeing each other.
She was smiling as she came up to him, her eyes alight with something like excitement, and he eyed her quizzically.
"Hey."
"Hey."
Her smile grew wider as she stepped up to him and reached up to kiss him. Another little thing he'd never imagined would become normal. And he liked it – not just the feeling of her lips on his, but the fact that it was normal. He'd never felt like that before - in the past, it had always become boring rather than pleasant and comfortable.
"Guess what?" she asked as she broke away.
"I have no idea, but I'm pretty sure you're going to tell me," he replied, laughing.
"I got offers from my two top university choices!" she said.
"Hey, that's great! Well done!" James said, with genuine feeling. A smile spread across his own face, her happiness catching, and he kissed her again, a little longer this time, one arm hooking around her waist.
"I knew you would, though," he added after a moment. "They'd be stupid not to want you."
She laughed. "Thanks. They're only conditional offers, though, so I still have to get the grades."
James had at least a vague idea of what she was talking about, because she had explained some of the process already. He couldn't pretend that he'd fully got it, or that he really completely understood what university was for and what you did there, but he knew she'd been waiting to hear the results of her application, and that this was what she'd been hoping for.
And he was happy for her, very genuinely. But he couldn't help the smallest pang at the knowledge that her life was moving in a different direction from his. Of course it was – how could it not? She wasn't a witch; she lived in the Muggle world, and her life would follow Muggle lines. University, something that was as strange a world to him as Hogwarts must be to her. It didn't have to stop them seeing each other, though, did it? But he wondered what would happen when she left school and went off to university, to start the next part of her life. Would he just be something she left behind and moved on from? One complication too many, when she was trying to forge her life?
"Are you okay?" she asked, her smile wavering for a moment.
"Yeah, course," he said at once, banishing his worries and bringing his grin back. "So, are you celebrating?"
"I don't know." Her expression also relaxed again. "It's a bit premature. I should wait for my actual results before that – and I haven't even sat the exams yet."
"True," he agreed. "Still. Nothing wrong with a small celebration, is there? Just a drink or two?"
"Okay, fine." She relented, still smiling. "Where should we go?"
They mostly went to wizarding places. For one thing, James stood out like a sore thumb in Muggle establishments, somehow much more than she did in wizarding ones. He never knew how anything worked, from his change to the automatic taps in the toilets. At least, he remarked with disgust after that last mishap had left him somewhat wet, magical things just wouldn't work for her – they wouldn't do unexpected things like spraying water out without being touched.
For another thing, Hazel wasn't eighteen yet, which meant that while Muggle coffee shops were fine, pubs and bars were more complicated, since she wasn't technically supposed to be in them. In wizarding pubs, she could drink legally, even though she was a Muggle.
However, he also knew that he had been deliberately avoiding places where he was likely to meet people he knew well, a knowledge that brought him back to the uncomfortable question of why he was keeping her a secret. Not that it was just him. He knew she hadn't told her parents, and although he thought her friends might know, he hadn't met any of them.
Although of course, Scorpius Malfoy knew, and had done for a while. Which was sort of weird that Malfoy knew more about James's life than Louis and the others did.
"Look," he said, after a bit of a pause. "There's this place – it's a pub in London, just a small one, called the Bowtruckle. It's a nice place, though. We go there pretty often."
"Okay," she agreed, though she looked quizzically at him. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," he said. A lie, of course. The truth was that the Bowtruckle was where Louis and the others were going to be tonight; he'd heard them planning it as he'd left. Annabel had asked if he was coming, and they'd all laughed and exchanged meaningful glances when he'd said he was busy. But why not? It wasn't that big of a deal.
"My friends are going to be there tonight," he said, with an attempt to sound casual. "So I thought… Only if you want to, obviously. We can go somewhere else. It's totally up to you. And it's not like I made plans with them or anything," he added hastily, in case she thought he was saying he'd rather be with his friends. "They go out all the time. I just thought… well, you haven't met any of them, and they've kind of started asking questions…"
She was frowning, and James hoped he wasn't trying to rush things. He knew how he felt about her, but she'd always been less sure. She'd given him a chance, and several weeks on, here they were. He thought it was going well, but they hadn't talked about it much.
"Look, forget it," he said. "It was a stupid idea. We'll just go somewhere, the two of us."
"No, it wasn't a stupid idea," she broke in, before he could suggest anything else. "I didn't realise your friends knew about me, that's all."
"Oh, well, yeah." James shrugged, avoiding her eyes. "I kind of live with them, and they know me a bit too well. I haven't told them much."
"Do they know I'm… not a witch?"
"Yes," he said. "Well, sort of. I mean, Louis knows who you are, and he's probably told the others by now, even though he said he wouldn't." He looked apologetically at her. Was she annoyed with him or not? "None of them are going to care about that."
She hesitated for a moment, obviously thinking. And then she smiled.
"Okay. I'd like to meet them."
"Really?" he asked doubtfully, searching her face for a lie.
Her smile grew. "Yeah. Really. It sounds like fun. If you're sure they won't mind."
"Oh, they won't mind," he assured her.
In fact, he thought, they were going to be delighted. Possibly to an embarrassing degree, especially Louis and Annabel, who had been asking the most questions. However, it was too late to back out. He'd just have to get it over with.
They materialised outside the pub, which was on a wizarding street, and James glanced at Hazel.
"You okay?"
She opened her eyes, which had been closed, and nodded. It wasn't the first time he'd taken her Side-Along, but her grip on his arm was very tight. She relaxed slightly, and reached up to push her hair out of her face. Apparition wasn't the smoothest ride.
"I'm fine. Is this it?"
She glanced up at a faded little sign above the door. People were coming and going, but it was dark, and nobody took much notice of them.
"Yep. Come on."
As they stepped through the door, her hand slipped from his arm down to his own hand, her fingers lacing through his. He glanced down at her again, a little surprised, though he wasn't sure why he should be – it wasn't the first time they'd held hands either. But the gesture was slightly different now, when they were about to meet his friends. It was an unambiguous statement. She met his gaze, and seemed to register his tiny hesitation. Her eyes flicked down to where their hands were joined and then back up to his face, a question in her expression. He knew what she was saying – is this okay?
And yes, he was self-conscious. Annoyingly so, given that he'd never been shy around girls, whether his friends were present or not. This was different though. Hazel was different. And he did want the others to know that. He smiled at her and squeezed her fingers gently, and she smiled back, reassured.
His friends were talking between themselves and hadn't noticed James and Hazel come in. Nor did they notice as the pair approached the table, until Fenella Belby looked up, her eyes landing on James. She blinked, and then her eyebrows shot up and she elbowed Adam Carson, who was sitting next to her and happened to be talking at the time. He broke off and turned to see what she was looking at. There was a moment of startled silence as the other two at the table also twisted round. Louis's mouth opened slightly, but Fenella, recovering fast, spoke first.
"Oh, hey, James," she said, raising her voice above the general noise of the pub. "I didn't know you were coming tonight." Her gaze slid to Hazel, and she smiled politely. "Sorry, I um, don't think we've met?"
It was typical of Fenella that after that first moment, she barely even sounded surprised. Her smile was bland enough, although there was an amused glint in it that James didn't think anyone would spot if they didn't know her very well.
"Yeah, er, hi. I'm Hazel."
Hazel glanced sideways at James briefly, but he was determined not to let this be awkward, despite the fact that Annie was staring at him as if she'd just been hit in the head with a bludger, and that the smile spreading across Louis's face made James begin to wish he'd never come.
"Well, we only just decided to come," James said, with forced breeziness. "So, er, Hazel, these are Adam, Annabel, Fenella and Louis."
"Nice to meet you," Fenella began, shooting a stern glance at the others.
"We've met before," Adam put in. Like Fenella, his face was carefully neutral.
Hazel blinked at him, then her face cleared. "Oh, yes. And you." She looked at Louis. "I remember you."
James had entirely forgotten that Adam and Louis had both been there the night he had first met Hazel himself. It wasn't a comfortable night to remember.
"You could have told us you were coming, Jamie!" Annabel burst out, her tone somewhere between reproachful and delighted. "And you also could have told us about this," she added, grinning as her eyes dropping to where their hands were still joined.
James glared at her. "Yeah well, this is none of your business. And like I said, we only just decided." He looked at Hazel and spoke perfectly loud enough to be heard by everyone. "Sorry about them. If you want to change your mind about meeting them, we can leave now."
"No, don't go!" Annabel protested. "Ignore James, Hazel – we're lovely. Come and sit down. Squidge up, Louis," she commanded, shuffling along the bench.
"Yeah, come and sit down," Louis agreed, obediently moving closer to Adam. He smiled at Hazel, his blue eyes all innocence. "I would say we've heard loads about you, but unfortunately we've only heard the bits he told us without meaning to." His smile grew to a grin. "So now we want to know all about you."
It was not going too badly, James reflected, some time later. In fact, it might be the haze of alcohol, but he didn't think it would be too far to say it was going great. He was having a fun night, and he thought Hazel was too. His friends could be annoying, but they were pretty awesome people really. And so was Hazel, so of course they would like her, and she would like them. He was several drinks in, Hazel was laughing at something Louis had said, squeezed in beside James with her body pressed against his and his arm round her waist, and the world seemed like a good place.
When he got up to get another round of drinks, Fenella caught him up at the bar.
"So," she said, picking up a couple of the glasses.
"What?" James busied himself collecting the rest – one in his hand and the others levitated on a tray – and didn't look at her.
"You really like her, don't you?"
He sighed, giving up the pretence. "Am I that obvious?"
"Yes. But that isn't a bad thing, Jamie. She's lovely, and it seems like she likes you too. Why shouldn't you show it?"
He looked at her, and gave her a small smile. Fenella was right, as usual.
"No reason, I s'pose. Only she's already turned me down once."
"Well, she's not turning you down now. Stop being so scared of it."
"Hey, I'm not scared of it!" he protested. "We're here, aren't we?"
"Yes, you are." Her smile was wide and genuine. "And I'm glad you came."
He Apparated Hazel home at the end of the evening. He had had several too many drinks, and so had she, but he risked taking her to the end of her street, judging that there probably wouldn't be anyone around to notice them. They were lucky, and the streets were dark and empty.
Hazel turned towards him when they'd arrived and wrapped her arms round his waist.
"Thanks for taking me," she said, her voice very slightly slurred. "I had a good time. Your friends are fun."
"Yeah, they're not too bad," he agreed with a grin. "Most of the time."
Her face was shadowed and hard to make out, but he thought she was smiling, and he leaned down and found her lips with his. For a few moments they didn't speak.
"I had a good time too," he said as he pulled back. His hand came up and brushed her cheek. "I really like being with you. And I'm glad you liked them." He hoped she understood how glad he was – and why it was important. He wanted her to be a more permanent part of his life, but he didn't know how to say that, or even whether he should say it or if it was moving too fast. Fenella was right, and he shouldn't be scared of showing how he felt, but he hoped that what he'd said and done did show it without him saying more.
She leaned in and rested her face against his chest, and he thought she had understood, although she didn't say anything for a few moments, and when she spoke it was to change the subject slightly.
"I think that was the first time I've really seen you doing magic."
He glanced down at her, surprised. "No, it's not. I turned that cup into a shoe to show you. And we've Apparated a whole load of times."
"No, I mean…" She paused, then went on. "It was the first time I've seen you do magic just without thinking. For normal stuff, like carrying drinks."
"Oh." He supposed she was right. It was so natural for him to use magic that he didn't really think about what he got his wand out for and what he didn't, especially now he'd got used to being able to do it out of school.
"I wish I could see you fly," she went on. "Louis was saying you're really good."
"Was he?" James had not heard that conversation, although he couldn't help being a little pleased. He knew he was good at flying - it was one thing he was confident of. But there were definitely more embarrassing things Louis could have been telling her, so he was grateful to his cousin for the accolade. "Well, you can," he added, after thinking about it for a moment.
"Really?" she said.
"Yeah. Why not? If you really want to. Not now, though," he added. "It's dark, and I'm not sober enough."
She giggled. "Have you ever flown when you were drunk?"
"Yes." He grinned. "But not when I was trying to impress anyone."
In the darkness he couldn't be sure, but he thought her eyebrows lifted.
"Oh? Will you be trying to impress me then?"
It was the alcohol combined with the fact that she couldn't see his face any more than he could see hers, but he laughed as he pressed his lips to the base of her throat.
"Of course I will. You know I will," he muttered against her.
He felt her breath catch, and she also laughed.
"Well, you won't have to try very hard. I've never seen anyone fly a broom."
He was slightly surprised at that, because Malfoy could fly a broom – pretty well, too. But he didn't really want to talk about Malfoy.
"Well, you can do more than watch," he told her instead, a thought growing in his mind. "You can have a go, if you want."
"Can I?" She sounded wondering. "How would that even work? I can't fly a broom!"
"No, but a decent broom can take two. We can do it this weekend, if you're up for it."
"I am," she said at once. "I definitely am. Tomorrow?"
He laughed. "If I'm not hungover, tomorrow it is."
